Burned,
paralyzed and after 25 yrs on bed victim dies without seeing any
justice

Chandigarh, Feb. 17, 2009
Sudesh Sharma

Gurcharan Singh Rishi, victim of anti-sikh riot, 1/2
burned body- became paralyzed, died on Monday at his Mohali residence
without seeing any justice. He was a key witness against former
union minister Sajan Kumar.

He was lying on bed since last 25 years at the resident
of his two brothers, Mohali, near Chandigarh. During the 1984 anti-sikh
riots in Delhi, he was thrown in a burning vehicle in front of his
house in Uttam Nagar. He said he was suffered because of Sajan Kumar,
who led the mob.

He survived with the
help of his wife and rescued by Bonnie and Tarlok Chand, a Dalit
and a Hindu neighbor, after the mob left. These people help him
at least three days and kept hiding in a burnt-down house of a relative.
He said:

The mob led by Sajan Kumar, started hitting his father and his
maternal uncle. His uncle Santokh Singh died on the spot. All
his family started hiding in the house but his brother injured.

He was hiding in the kitchen, overpowered by mob and thrown
into a burning truck outside the house

His father and he was taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
They discharged without much medical. Due to this reason, he still
has many open wounds on his legs and knees.

He registered an FIR in Delhi and Mohali a couple of times,
but no one listened to them.

He did not a get a single rupee as compensation from Indian
Govt.

His family approached the All-India Sikh Student Federation
(AISSF) president Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad. Through him, he
told media persons that he saw Sajjan Kumar inciting his henchmen
at Nawada in Delhi, who later burnt a Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Mohan
Garden, where his father was the president and also properties
of many Sikhs.

Interestingly, he struggled for getting compensation
of Rs two lakh from Punjab Govt but all in vain. According to Gurcharan,
Peer Mohammed of Federation, put a pressure on Govt and then CBI
recorded his statement in April 2008 in Sajan Kumar's case.